Hopper barge

ABSTRACT

A bottom dump hopper barge having a platform and a pair of longitudinal, transversely hinging pontoons is provided with improved means for maintaining the platform in virtually the same position relative to the vertical longitudinal median plane between the pontoons. The means may take the form of linkage system, hydraulic piston-and-cylinder assemblies, rack-and-pinion means, or guide rods or plates rigidly connected to the platform and guided in bent zones of facing walls of the pontoons.

United States Patent Van Der Werff [451 Sept. 5,1972

[54] HOPPER BARGE 279,684 6/1883 Wilson ..l14/29 [72] Inventor: Bartele Van Der Werff, Capelle an FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS den Ijssel, Netherlands 313,840 6/1929 Great Britain ..1 14/29 [73] Assignee: A. Vuyk 8: Zonens Scheepswerven, 4

N.V., Capella a/d ljssel, Netherlands [22] Filed: Sept. 10, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 71,092

301 Foreign Application Priority Data Sept. 1 2, 1969 Netherlands ..69/3929 [52] US. Cl. ..l14/29 [51] Int. Cl. ..B63b 35/30 [58] Field of Search ..114/27, 29

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,196,229 .8/1916 Granges ..114/29 Primary ExamineF-Trygve M. Blix Attorney-Waters, Roditi, Schwartz & Nissen [57] ABSTRACT A bottom dump hopper barge having a platform and a pair. of longitudinal, transversely hinging pontoons is provided with improved means for maintaining the platform in virtually the same position relative to the vertical longitudinal median plane between the pontoons. The means may take the form of linkage system, hydraulic piston-and-cylinder assemblies, rack-and-pinion means, or guide rods or plates rigidly connected to the platform and guided in bent zones of facing walls of the pontoons.

6 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures PATENTEIISEP 5 I I 31588122 sum 2 or 5 fizgzfi 7 8 I I 2 o 17 0/ 5 -15 6 I I I I PATENTEDSEP w 3.688.722

SHEET BF 5 We, 4 IIIIIIIIIIIIMII f "III II I'lllllll HOPPER BARGE This invention relates to a hopper barge comprising a port pontoon and a starboard pontoon, interconnected for hinging movement about a longitudinal axis, and enclosing a well between them, and a platform mounted on top of the vessel and supported on each of the two pontoons, and coupled therewith by guide means on the platform cooperating with guide-means on the pontoons, said guide means permitting relative movement between said platform and said pontoons in transverse directions, and parallel guide means maintaining said platform in substantially the same positions relative to the vertical longitudinal median plane between the pontoons.

In known barges of this kind, there is the disadvantage that only small parallel-guiding forces can be taken up, and not the forces which in larger vessels are likely to occur in rough weather conditions. It is an object of the present invention to improve the construction in this respect.

According to the invention, there is provided a hopper barge as defined in the first paragraph of this specification, in which the parallel guide means comprises one or more control members which, forced by the relative movement of the pontoons to move relative to the platform, guide the latter relative to said median plane, control forces being transmitted through one or more members disposed at an angle to the median plane.

This makes it possible for the force transmitting element to be given an effective shape and dimensions adapted to these forces. The invention can be implemented in various embodiments, some of which will be described hereinafter.

In a first embodiment, the guide means comprises at least one pair of link rods, each pontoon being pivoted to one end of one of these rods, the latter being at their other ends interconnected in a pivot guided through the platform along a guideway extending in, or parallel to, said median plane. The rods are only loaded in their longitudinal direction.

Another embodiment with the rod or rods are only loaded in their longitudinal direction, which embodiment can give a very good approximation of an exact parallel guidance, can be implemented according to the invention in a vessel in which the upstanding walls located adjacent to said median plane are at least locally bent, and the pivot axis is spaced below the deck level of the vessel. In that embodiment, the parallel guide means comprises one or more link rods each having its lower end pivoted to the respective starboard and port pontoons, and their upper ends devoted to the platfomr in a position above the port and starboard pontoons, respectively, or the other way round.

The invention can also be based on the use of hydraulic means. In that case, the parallel guide means may comprise one or more pairs of double-acting, transverse hydraulic piston-and-cylinder units, the active piston surface areas of each pair being mutually equal in all working chambers, one unit being connected between the platform and the starboard pontoon and the other unit being connected between the platform and the port pontoon, the arrangement being such that relative movement between the pontoons and the platform displaces the pistons in the units, the

working chambers on the starboard side of the respective pistons being interconnected by communication channels and the working chambers on the port side of the respective pistons being interconnected by communication channels.

A vessel according to the invention may also be characterized by parallel-guide means in the form of at least two units of interengaging rack-and-pinion means, one unit being mounted on the platform and the port pontoon, and the other on the platform and the starboard pontoon, with either the two pinions or the two racks being mounted on the platform the pinions-being interconnected by transmission means to provide a fixed ratio between their angular rotations. The transmission means may be of a mechanical nature or employ a so-called electrical shaft.

Finally, it is possible to utilize the space which always remains available during the relative movement between the platform and the pontoons and of the pontoons relative to each other, for connecting one or more guide rods or guide plates, guided between the bent walls of the pontoons, at their upper ends to the platform through structural elements diverging at a wide angle, and transmitting supporting forces to said guide rods or guide plates.

The invention will be described in greater details with reference to the accompanying diagramatic drawings.

In said drawings,

FIG. 1 shows a front elevation of a first embodiment of a barge according to the invention with the pontoons in the normal position;

FIG. 2 shows a similar front elevation, but with the pontoons in the swung-apart position;

FIGS. 3 and 4 give views similar to those of FIGS. 1 and 2 of a second embodiment;

FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate front elevations of an hydraulic embodiment with the pontoons in the normal and in the swung-apart position, respectively;

FIG. 7 shows the parallel guide means of a fourth embodiment;

FIG. 8 illustrates a cross-sectional view on the line VIII-VIII of FIG. 7;

FIGS. 9 and 10 show views similar to those of the respective FIGS. 1 and 2 of a fifth embodiment.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, pontoons 1 and 2 are interconnected in pivot 3. Platform 4 has travelling wheels 5 and 6 bearing on the respective pontoons 1 and 2. Wheels 5 and 6 are held against the deck of the pontoons by respective guide way cages 7 and 8. Rods 9 and 10, pivoted to the pontoons at 11 and 12, respectively, are pivoted together in cross-head 13, which is guided in guideway 14 on platform 4.

In FIGS. 3 and 4, parts corresponding to those in FIGS. 1 and 2 have the same reference numerals. The rod 15 is pivoted to pontoon 2 at 16 and to platform 4 at 17. The location of the pivots is such that when the pontoons move between the positions of FIGS. 3 and 4 there is a virtually exact parallel guidance of the platform relative to the median plane of the vessel.

In FIGS. 5 and 6, parts corresponding to the parts described are again designated by the same reference numerals. Pivoted to pontoon l at 21 is a piston rod 22. The platform 4 carries at 23 a cylinder 24 pivoted to it in which rod 22 is connected to a piston 25. Rod 22 projects from cylinder 2 on both sides. Pontoon 2 is in a similar way connected to platform 4 by means of corresponding parts 31-35. The hydraulic working chambers 26 and 37 are interconnected through line 28, and working chambers 27 and 36 communicate with one another through line 29. To enable piston rods 22 and 32, as shown in FIG. 6, to pass by one another, the groups of parts 21-25 and 31-35 are slightly off-set relatively to each other in the longitudinal direction.

FIG. 7 and 8 again show a pair of travelling wheels and 6 and guide-way cages 7 and 8. Mounted on pontoons 1 and 2 are racks 41 and 42, respectively, which cooperate with respective pinions 43 and 44, fixedly mounted on respective shafts 45 and 46, carried by strips 47 on the platform. Wheels 5 and 6 are mounted for free rotation on these shafts. Shafts 45 and 46 are coupled by means of bevel gears 48 and a shaft 49, so that the pinions 43 and 44 can at all times perform equal but opposite rotation only.

FIG. 9 and again show a pair of travelling wheels 5 and 6 and associated guide-way cages 7 and 8 on pontoons 1 and 2, respectively. Mounted on platform 4 is a guide plate 41, connected to platform 4 for lateral force transmission by means of diverging structural elements 52 and 53. As will be seen upon comparing FIGS. 9 and 10, the reinforcing body formed by elements 52 and 53 has adequate accommodation in all pivot positions of pontoons l and 2. The guide plate 51 is guided between the bent zones 54 and 55 of the facing walls of pontoons 1 and 2.

We claim:

1. A hopper barge comprising a port pontoon and a starboard pontoon, means interconnecting said pontoons for relative pivotal movement about a longitudinal axis and defining a well therebetween, a platform mounted on top of the vessel and being supported on each of said pontoons, first guide means mounted on said platform, second guide means mounted on said pontoons, operably connected to said guide means on the platform, said first and second guide means facilitating relative movement between said platform and said pontoons in transverse directions, and parallel guide means maintaining said platform in substantially constant position relative to a vertical longitudinal median plane between the pontoons, said parallel guide means comprising at least one control member and at least one member disposed at an angle to the median plane, said control member, in response to movement of the pontoons relative to the platform, guiding said platform relative to said median plane, control forces being transmitted through at least one of the members disposed at an angle to the median plane.

2. A vessel according to claim 1 wherein the parallel guide means comprises at least one pair of link rods, each pontoon being pivoted to one end of one of these rods, the latter being at their other ends interconnected in a pivot guided through the platform along a guideway extending in, or parallel to, said median plane.

3. A vessel according to claim 1, in which the upstanding walls located adjacent to said median plane are at least locally bent, and the pivot axis is spaced below the deck level of the vessel, and wherein the parallel guide means comprises one or more link rods each having their lower end pivoted to the respective starboard and port pontoons, and their upper ends pivoted to the platform in a position above the port and starboard pontoons, respectively, or the other way round.

4. A vessel according to claim 1, wherein the parallel guide means comprises one or more pairs of doubleacting, transverse, hydraulic piston-and-cylinder units, the active piston surface areas of each pair being mutually equal in all working chambers, one unit being connected between the platform and the starboard pontoon and the other unit being connected between the platform and port pontoon, the arrangement being such that relative movement between the pontoon and the platform displaces the pistons in the units, the working chambers on the starboard side of the respective pistons being interconnected by communication channels, and the working chambers on the port side of the respective pistons being interconnected by communication channels.

5. A vessel according to claim 1, characterized by parallel guide means in the form of at least two units of interengaging rack-and-pinion means, one unit being mounted on the platform and the port pontoon, and the other on the platform and the starboard pontoon, with either the two pinions or the two racks being mounted on the platform, the pinions being interconnected by transmission means to provide a fixed ratio between their angular rotations.

6. A vessel according to claim 1, wherein bent zones of facing walls of the pontoons form control means guiding one or more guide rods or guide plates rigidly connected to the platform at the upper end by means of structural elements diverging at a wide angle. 

1. A hopper barge comprising a port pontoon and a starboard pontoon, means interconnecting said pontoons for relative pivotal movement about a longitudinal axis and defining a well therebetween, a platform mounted on top of the vessel and being supported on each of said pontoons, first guide means mounted on said platform, second guide means mounted on said pontoons, operably connected to said guide means on the platform, said first and second guide means facilitating relative movement between said platform and said pontoons in transverse directions, and parallel guide means maintaining said platform in substantially constant position relative to a vertical longitudinal median plane between the pontoons, said parallel guide means comprising at least one control member and at least one member disposed at an angle to the median plane, said control member, in response to movement of the pontoons relative to the platform, guiding said platform relative to said median plane, control forces being transmitted through at least one of the members disposed at an angle to the median plane.
 2. A vessel according to claim 1 wherein the parallel guide means comprises at least one pair of link rods, each pontoon being pivoted to one end of one of these rods, the latter being at their other ends interconnected in a pivot guided through the platform along a guideway extending in, or parallel to, said median plane.
 3. A vessel according to claim 1, in which the upstanding walls located adjacent to said median plane are at least locally bent, and the pivot axis is spaced below the deck level of the vessel, and wherein the parallel guide means comprises one or more link rods each having their lower end pivoted to the respective starboard and port pontoons, and their upper ends pivoted to the platform in a position above the port and starboard pontoons, respectively, or the other way round.
 4. A vessel according to claim 1, wherein the parallel guide means comprises one or more pairs of double-acting, transverse, hydraulic piston-and-cylinder units, the active piston surface areas of each pair being mutually equal in all working chambers, one unit being connected between the platform and the starboard pontoon and the other unit being connected between the platform and port pontoon, the arrangement being such that relative movement between the pontoon and the platform displaces the pistons in the units, the working chambers on the starboard side of the respective pistons being interconnected by communication channels, and the working chambers on the port side of the respective pistons being interconnected by communication channels.
 5. A vessel according to claim 1, characterized by parallel guide means in the form of at least two units of interengaging rack-and-pinion means, one unit being mounted on the platform and the port pontoon, and the other on the platform and the starboard pontoon, with either the two pinions or the two racks being mounted on the platform, the pinions being interconnected by transmission means to proviDe a fixed ratio between their angular rotations.
 6. A vessel according to claim 1, wherein bent zones of facing walls of the pontoons form control means guiding one or more guide rods or guide plates rigidly connected to the platform at the upper end by means of structural elements diverging at a wide angle. 